


Over and Over, Again and Again

by JenelleLucia



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/M, I just want them to reunite wherever they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 04:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11456223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenelleLucia/pseuds/JenelleLucia
Summary: She wants nothing more than to see him again. Alm/Celica





	1. Over and Over

_i._

Seven years was how long she waited, and she swore - now that he was here, and she was there, where he was - she would not wait seven, ten, or even twenty more. 

The first time she saw him again, she was so overcome with joy that she ran into his arms and held him close and cried. 

She told him, through tears, she waited seven years for that day and that she had finally found him.

And in that moment, as he held her close, everything seemed right.

( _Worrying aside_ , she told herself, as she nestled in his warmth and placed in the forefront of her mind that he was here, in person, the most important part is that _he's safe_.) 

They exchanged words - rather harsh ones - after exchanging stories. It seemed that the worries were kicking in already, even after that reunion (which might have been for naught now). How could he? How could he? 

_How could he?_

Celica turned on her heel, walked towards the flight of stairs, and before she could say anything more, disappeared in a white flash. 

- 

"...?" 

Shaking her head, Celica rubbed her eyes as she looked up and tried to adjust to the light. Where exactly was she? 

The priestess carefully stood up, brushing herself off and coming face to face (to face to face) with unfamiliar strangers in the room. What happened to the castle? She knew she was there only moments ago...right? 

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Askr!" the blonde-haired girl standing next to blue-haired boy greeted her rather cheerfully. The hooded figure was busy unloading some sort of...odd weapon, and the red-haired young woman was eyeing her rather briefly. 

"Sorry about the rough landing," the hooded figure apologized, placing down his hood to reveal his face. "But as Sharena said, welcome to Askr. I guess the Order of Heroes, to cut to the chase."

Askr? Order of Heroes? She had to put two and two together.

"...I am Celica, a priestess," she hesitantly introduced herself before clenching a fist. "Though I'd rather avoid bloodshed, I'm prepared to fight if I must." 

"There's the fighting spirit!" The red-haired young woman exclaimed before taking her hand and dragging her away from the summoning stone, under the archway, and into the castle. 

"Wait a minute!" the priestess protested, nevertheless letting herself be dragged along with the other three following close behind them. "I have no idea what's going on - "

"We'll explain on the way," the blue-haired boy finally spoke up from behind them. "Please don't mind Commander Anna - the one who's dragging you along. She just gets really excited about these sorts of things." 

And during these sorts of things, she had to grin and bear it. 

_ii._

From there, things became a cycle. 

Celica was placed on a team - a very...eccentric one at best. She became fast friends with them, but they were quite the bunch. She had heard from many other Heroes (some she was familiar with, others she wasn't) that she was the first "rookie" - as they so rightfully called her and some of the other new Heroes she was summoned with - to be placed on the main team. 

From what she learned, Eirika had an older brother who taught her the ways of the sword. Eirika also didn't like bloodshed, but fought when she needed to. And seeing her out on the battlefield, she made for a very formidable swordswoman. 

Azura was a songstress and a dancer - also a very good one at that. She was very quiet, though; she preferred to spend time with the other dancers in the Order - not that the rest of the team minded. She was free to do whatever, just as they were. Celica just wished she'd spend more time with them, though. 

Hector was loud, and his fighting style was brutish. But, he did make for a good conversationalist. She had brought it up one day, her thoughts about his fighting style. 

"You're not the first person to tell me that," he laughed heartily, and Celica raised an eyebrow. _Oh?_  

"Someone back home - someone very important to me - told me so." He tapped his heart with a rather proud smile, and she could only tell that it was someone he loved dearly. 

All in all, they clicked; Celica couldn't have asked for a better team. 

_iii._

With time and experience, Celica became the leader of the team. Eirika, Azura, and Hector were by her side - just as she had wanted - and she had well-acquainted herself with the "hustle" (as Kiran, their summoner, would call it) around the kingdom of Askr. 

It had become a cycle - wake up, train new heroes, go out and defeat Veronica's lackies, sleep, and repeat. Despite the homesickness and the longing - the same longing that Hector once confided in her that he felt for his beloved back home - she felt for Alm... 

Alm. She had no idea if he would even forgive her even after all this time... 

It's time to get up, she told herself, slipping out of her bed to prepare for the cycle ahead. She could ponder over that later. 

- 

"You're out of it today." Hector had noticed it after he defeated her during a one on one duel they had planned to have for the day. "Normally, I wouldn't defeat you." 

"I'm sorry, Hector," she apologized, then moving to take a seat on the bench. "I guess I have some things on my mind." 

"I'm assuming it's for someone back home?" 

"How'd - " 

"I'm no sap, but believe me - you know I'd know." 

As true as that was, and for as long as they had been working together, he was right. And Hector was no sap indeed. 

"I...I had this argument with him," Celica went on to say, now folding her hands together and resting them on her tome. "I said some things to him, and now...I don't know if I'll ever see him again." 

(She was more afraid of the fact that he never wanted to see _her_ again.) 

"To apologize? Or maybe even more?" he asked, quirking a brow. That made her laugh. 

"To apologize, definitely. Doing something more is the last thing on my mind right now." 

"We'll never know until we find out then. You know how summoning works." There was a moment of silence between them, and after it passed the axe-wielding Marquess-to-be stood. "Come on! A good sparring session might make you feel better." 

"I'm certainly not opposed to that." Celica stood up after him, then holding her hand out for a good shake.

- 

She walked through the halls that same day, basking in the lingering rays of the setting sun as it cast an orange glow through the corridor she passed, much like it did the day she was summoned. 

Passing through the main hall, she stopped in her tracks as she heard a familiar voice speak a greeting. Immediately pushing the doors open, her eyes brightened and she broke off into a sprint, tackling the figure and holding him tightly. 

_"It's really you...!"_


	2. Again and Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She learns a lot from time, and patiently waiting proves fruitful.

_iv._

Time, paradoxes...whatever Kiran and Commander Anna called it...it surely was a thing. 

The Alm that she had tackled back then was one she met a little too soon - he had just left Grandpapa (er, she meant Sir Mycen) to join the Deliverance. He was surprised to see her, but he left just as quickly as he came. 

"Don't feel too bad about it, Celica," Kiran had reassured her after the (awkward) encounter. "I'm trying my best to summon him; I can't guarantee he'll be from your timeline." 

She only nodded and thanked him before heading off to the training floor once more, and no one spoke about it that night. 

For that, she was grateful. 

- 

"Mother Mila," she had knelt beside her bedside that night, hands clasped together with her eyes closed. Her lips murmured quiet prayers against her hands, each one spoken with fervor. 

She prayed for the safety of her team, and for the others. She prayed that the Earth Mother - wherever she was - continued to guide her friends, guide Alm and his party, wherever they were. 

( _Maybe even guide them to her._ ) 

She knew some of the Heroes were religious; they prayed to gods and goddesses she had no knowledge of, but she - ever curious - pressed to know more, and in return she spoke about the Earth Mother. 

Maybe this was what was keeping her grounded in the midst of what she saw in her endless cycle. 

- 

The next day, Kiran summoned again. Celica, Hector, Eirika, and Azura stood among them, watching as out stepped (rather gracefully) a woman with long, forest green hair wearing a blue dress that Celica had never seen anyone wear before. 

Before she could make her introduction, the clanging of armor against the marble floor could only resound, and the priestess watched as Hector ran - ran like he never could on the battlefield, thanks to his bulking armor - and took the woman into his arms. 

She watched as she hugged back with a light laugh, inspecting him briefly to make sure that he wasn't hurt before turning to them now with a bright smile. 

Her name was Lyndis, she said, and she had come from the noble House of Caelin. Celica could see that she was clutching Hector's hand tightly now, and she could only hope that Lyndis wouldn't let go of it again. 

(The said axe-wielder introduced them a bit later, and Lyndis - she told her to call her 'Lyn' instead - couldn't thank her enough for keeping Hector safe all this time. It was no problem, Celica told her. That was all she could do for a friend.) 

 _v._  

The Alm who had only left Grandpapa in the beginning wasn't the only 'Alm' she met in this world. 

There was an Alm she met who had been whisked away now that the war in their (or...his world, or time; whatever it was) was over. He didn't say much; he only asked where her ring was, and that he seemed to understand that she was not his Celica. 

Another Alm she met was fighting on Embla's side. He seemed a little reluctant to fight her, and she in turn was reluctant to fight _him_ ; in those cases, Hector told her to keep moving forward, and so that was what she did. 

She had to admit that it was frustrating, to say the least. 

" — Now that's a story you've never told me," Hector told her one night over dinner in the mess hall. Lyn had since come to join their table, and the pair could only watch as Celica continued to fret as she ate her stew.

"It was embarassing, so I kept it to myself," she replied, setting her utensils down. "I just...I don't know. Maybe I'm just anxious I'll never see him again. Or maybe he's never going to forgive me if he shows up." 

"You don't know that," Lyn reassured her, then putting her own utensils down. "What would you do if he - let's say - didn't forgive you?" 

"I...I'd be upset, no doubt about that. At the same time...maybe I deserve it. I said some horrible things to him before I was summoned..." 

"If he knows that you don't mean any of it, maybe he'll forgive you." 

"Yeah," another voice spoke up from behind her, and in came Eirika holding her own plate of food and utensils, setting it down carefully before seating herself. "I could hear the conversation coming over, but from the stories you've told us about him, maybe he hasn't changed?" 

"I don't know. A lot can happen in seven years." Celica flashed them all a weak smile before beginning to eat again. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your advice, though, you guys."

- 

She had just finished up relaying greetings with a Lachesis before heading back through the corridors, bathing in the orange glow of the setting sun as she walked to her quarters. 

That ended the cycle for today. She said her prayers, and retired to bed.

 _vi._  

She rushed to the summoning ruins once she had received word that Kiran has summoned Heroes from _her_ world. She may have been out of breath from spending time in the training ruins already, and she might have overexerted herself a little in running, but she had to be there to see these Heroes for herself. 

 _One of them just has to be him_ , she repeated to herself. _It just has to be._  

Her prayers went unanswered once she made her way into the summoning ruins. Mae had crushed her into a giant hug once she caught sight of her; Boey, on the other hand, was gaping in disbelief before pulling (rather prying) Mae off of her; Genny, sweet Genny, was stammering her greetings, and she was also greeted by Faye and another member of Alm's party - she introduced herself as Clair a moment later. 

She was unsure if her Alm had already met Clair in her time; she was fairly sure that wherever he went though, Faye was sure to follow. And she highly doubted that Alm - at some point - met Mae, Boey, and Genny on his travels. 

For the most part, she was just glad they made it here unharmed. 

- 

Her suspicions were confirmed when she spoke to Faye and Clair about their time. Alm had met Clair prior to meeting her, and Faye had since followed Alm into joining the Deliverance. For the most part, Clair spouted her praises of him - of how kind, how brave, _how handsome_ he was. 

(Frankly, Celica thought she couldn't have been any more right.) 

Faye, on the other hand, continued wondering when Alm was ever going to show up. And that was something Celica was beginning to question as well - or really, if he was ever going to show up _at all_. 

She understood the summoning process, and how random it was. She had some sliver of hope, after all; despite her being missing she hoped that the Earth Mother would give her a sign. 

She wasn't sure when it would come, though. 

- 

She watched as Faye and Clair expressed the same surprise she herself had shown when another Alm came to greet her. He had expressed immense delight in seeing her, and out of courtesy he greeted Faye and Clair, but as he had come he left just as quick, and the waiting continued. 

_vii._

She had come to understand that Kiran sporadically summoned at night - or rather, at the most ungodly hours of the night. She wasn't sure why, but after yet another nightmare, she instead decided to take a good, long walk to the summoning ruins. 

This was where she expected Kiran would make his all-nighters; getting him coffee several times a day made her realize that this was unhealthy, and yet he was so used to it, that it no longer worried her as much. Pushing open the double doors, the priestess pulled the plush robe she wore closed before heading inside. 

"You're up pretty late, aren't you?" she spoke up after greeting a new Hero she had not seen before as they passed by her. 

"I know," Kiran replied, aiming another orb at its target. "But I'll head in after this last one, don't worry!" 

"Who are you trying to summon this time?" 

"Someone special." 

"Oh?" Celica didn't further her questioning, instead perching herself on the large rock Sharena sat on when she summoned. Crossing her legs, she watched as Heroes continued appearing before them, some giving the same spiel one did five minutes ago and then some. After a good moment or so, Celica helped herself off the rock and turned on her heel. 

"I think I'm going to head in, Kiran. I'll see you in the —" 

_" — I'm Alm, leader of the Deliverance. You can be sure I'll take my sword up for your cause."_

- 

Celica stopped in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her fists as tears threatened to roll down her face at the sound of his voice. _No_ , she tried telling herself. _This is just some weird dream you're having at this part of the night, and he's not here. He's not standing there, in front of Kiran - in front of you, and -_

"I've been meaning to call you here forever!" she heard Kiran say from a good distance away from her. "We're so honored to have you join our cause, Alm!" 

"I'd say likewise, but uh - I have absolutely no idea what's going on," Alm answered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. 

That was his voice. Without a doubt, it was Alm's voice, and as she turned her head slight without a doubt that was him. Sure, yes, he was later than she expected, but he was there. He was there, in person, and for the most part, he was safe. 

(And she didn't have to wait seven years this time.) 

-

"...Alm," she called out to him. She felt as if her throat was dry, but her feet moved on their own. The padding of the slippers she wore on her feet softened the thudding her feet made as she walked back from the door to meet him up there. 

As her feet moved on their own, her heartbeat grew louder - ringing in her ears, drowing out the sound of her footsteps, thumping so loudly that she thought Kiran could hear it too, and she broke off from a walk, to a jog, to a sprint, and her body just moved on its own. 

"Celica?" Alm had to recover for a good bit, having to make sure he was seeing things right as it was practically the middle of the night in this world's case. "Oh, gods, is that really you?" 

"Alm, I..." She kept her arms around him tighter, and she let out a shaky sigh of relief when his own arms encircled around her back and hugged her closer, and that's when she knew she'd have to say something. "Alm, I - forgive me. I said such horrible things to you at the castle, and I wanted you to come here so I could apologize, but then I thought you'd be mad at me and - " 

She felt him pull away slightly, and she was greeted with the incredulous look on his face. 

"Mad at _you_?" he repeated, then shaking his head before holding her close. "I could never be mad at you, Celica. Sure, I'm upset that you don't see my side of things, but I could never be mad at you." 

Celica didn't say anything more, but instead, as she buried her face into his shoulder, she only reveled in the fact that he was here, with her, and the wait was finally over. 

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by a tumblr post made by hyeonjuseong on tumblr, and on top of that, this is a birthday gift to a lovely friend of mine! 
> 
> Link to the post: https://hyeonjuseong.tumblr.com/post/160974611526/i-love-seeing-alm-visit-because-i-can-just-imagine


End file.
